Hallowed and Halo 5: Hall lecture to explore peace

Two scholars – one a theologian and the other a psychologist -- will address the pursuit of peace Thursday, April 11 at the University of South Carolina.

The Rev. Clifton Black of Princeton Theological Seminary will explore the Lord’s Prayer and the “lull of complacency” in the annual Hall Lecture at 7:30 p.m. in Capstone House. Earlier in the day Ohio State University professor Brad Bushman will lead a panel discussion among clergy and the public on curbing video game violence at 2 p.m. in Rutledge Chapel.

Both events, offered as part of USC’s Nadine Beacham and Charlton F. Hall Sr. Lectureship in New Testament and Early Christianity, are free and open to the public.

In the evening Hall Lecture Black, the Otto A. Piper Professor of Biblical Theology at Princeton, will address a complacency that he refers to as a temptation -- even among the pious – to not fully appreciate and embrace the words of the Lord’s Prayer.

“To petition God as ‘Father’ was and remains an extraordinary act of faithful gumption. To plead for daily bread and defense against temptation is to admit our fundamental weakness. To ask forgiveness as we forgive others is a reminder of the immensity of our debts to others,” said Black, who is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. “The words of this prayer construct those who pray it into something rather different from what they are.”

Black will join Bushman, a professor of communication and psychology, for the afternoon panel discussion titled “Curbing Violence in American Society.” Bushman will discuss the prevalence of video games as well as the effects of violent and relaxing ones on players. He is an expert on human aggression and violence as it relates to media and video games.